Food: Dean’s Seafood Opening January 22

Cary, NC – Rockwell’s officially closed at the end of December. Since then, crews have been working furiously to change things over by January 22 for Rocky Top Hospitality’s new Dean’s Seafood Grill & Bar.

Seafood Focus

Rocky Top went through some reorganization in December, breaking up a partnership and spinning off several restaurants and closing others. Dean Ogan is focusing on what he does best. The restaurant group is keeping open the Twisted Fork at Triangle Town Center , the Daily Planet in the NC Natural Science Museum’s Nature Center and the new Dean’s in Cary, and will continue their catering service.

This restaurant will focus on fresh seafood, with an oyster bar and a weekly menu of fresh catches.

From the website:

Dean’s Seafood Grill & Bar is THE place to go for the freshest and most unique seafood creations. The core menu offers various sections including a raw bar, appetizers, specialty dishes, and “Food without Fins” for the land lovers. The focal point of the menu each week is an ever changing “Fresh Catch” section with six to eight different types of fish. With the menu changing weekly, we can ensure the freshest of seafood choices and exciting menu options when you come to visit.

Local Watering Hole

The location has street frontage on busy NW Cary Parkway. The restaurant aims to be a local watering hole with 14 beers on tap, an 80-bottle wine selection, a changing specialty drinks menu and Thursday night $4 cocktails. Do I hear “Girl’s Night Out”?

The patio area is being expanded to encompass more four-season dining. New bushes have been planted to screen that area from the road. Dean will be returning to the kitchen as executive chef at this endeavor.

Restaurant owner Dean Ogan says,

“We are wrapping up our remodel for the most part today, with only our patio enclosure left for completion next week. We remodeled the bar and dining room, and equipped the kitchen in order to serve fresh seafood and Oysters. I’m excited about the change for a lot of reasons, but mostly because seafood is a passion of mine and I see a huge void regarding the limited offering of fresh seafood in the Triangle.”

He added that he will be doing friends and family dinners Saturday, Sunday and Monday night. That should give them time to iron the kinks out and be ready for Tuesday night’s soft opening by dinnertime.